Container for cigarettes and the like



I April 3, 1934. MACDONALD 1,953,418

CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE Filed May 28, 1930 3 Sheets- Sheet l AUEYAN DERGNACDONALD I wax Maw;

ATTORNEYS April 3, 1934- A. e. MACDONALD 1,953,418

CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE L IKE Filed May 28, 1950 5 Sheets- Sheet 2 s E m i x Q if K FIGLQ INVENTOPL AUEXANDERGMACDONALD F1610 aw mm fizz ATronNE y April 3, 1934. A. s. MACDONALD ,953, 8

CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE Filed May 28, 1950' s Sheets-Sheet 3 if? r WW W1 INVENTOR ALEXAN DERGMAQDONALD 30 TI I ATTORNEYS FIGH Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE I Alexander G. Macdonald, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application May 28, 1930, Serial No. 456,552

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a container equipped with novel means to facilitate removal or display of cigarettes or other articles contained therein.

More particularly, the invention consists in the provision of a special form of container which may be made of paper or any other suitable material. Spaced slits are formed in the bottom wall and in at least one adjoining wall of the con- 0 tainer so that the wall portion lying between said slits may be pressed inwardly to eiTect partial ejection of the cigarettes or other articles. The

slits are arranged in a particular manner to permit the displaceable portion of the container to have a considerable range of inward movement without stressing the material of the container to any considerable degree.

When the invention is embodied in a dispensing container of the type in which cigarettes are commonly packaged, the displaceable wall portion serves as an efficient substitute for the separate dispensing slide usually provided in containers of this type. i

When the invention is embodied in a display 5 container, the displaceable wall portion serves to support at least a portion of the container contents in a partially ejected or display position.

In its last mentioned application, the invention also functions as a dispensing medium, in that it facilitates removal of. the partially ejected contents.

For a more detailed discussion of thevinvention, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a perspective view of one form of container constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a view similarto Figure 1, but showing the manner in which contiguous bottom and side Wall portions of the container are displaced to partially eject the contents.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure '2,

but showing a slight'modification.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 6--6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure l, but showing a further modification.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the container disclosed in Figure 7. In this figure the bottom wall of the container is shown in inwardly displaced position and parts of the container are broken away to expose the interior construction.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is alongitudinal sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of Figure 7.

Figure 11 is a perspective'view of a container in which the present invention is incorporated for display purposes.

Figure 12 is a side view of the container shown in Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of a container embodying a modification of the construction shown in Figure 11.

Figure 14 is a side view showing a further modification of the invention as used for display purposes.

Figure 15 is a side view of a supplementary supporting member adapted to be used in connection with the container structure shown in Figure 14.

The container, indicated at 5, is permanently closed at the end 6. The remaining or open end of the container is equipped with a displaceable closure flap 7 of the usual form.

Contiguous bottom and rear wall portions, indicated, respectively, at 8 and 9, are partially 30 separated from the body of the container by means of the parallel slits 10. These slits extend across the bottom wall 6 and upwardly, for a limited distance, along the rear wall 11. Whenthe delivery end of the container is opened by displacement of. the flap 7, the cigarettes or other articles may be partially ejected by applying pressure to the bottom wall portion 8 lying between the slots 10. As the wall portions 8 and 9 are pressed inwardly to the position shown in Figure 2, they act as followers to force the cigarettes or other articles toward the open end of the container. The wall portions 8 and 9 may be provided with score lines, indicated at 12. These scored portions 12 serve as hinge connections between the wall sections lying at opposite sides thereof.

Figure 4 discloses a slight modification wherein the slits 10a extend entirely across the bottom wall 6a and upwardly, for a limited distance, along both the front and rear walls 11a. When the bottom wall portion 8a, located between the slits 10a, is pressed toward the upper end of the container, the contiguous front and rear wall portions 911 are deflected outwardly beyond the walls 1111, as shown to advantage in Figures 4 and 6. The wall portions 8a and 9a may also be provided with transverse score lines 1211.

Figure 5 discloses the manner in which the construction shown in Figure 4 may be duplicated in containers of larger size.

Figures 7 to 10 inclusive disclose a further modification, wherein the slits, indicated at 10b, are located close to the side walls 12'. This permits the entire bottom wall 13 to be displaced inwardly, as shown to advantage in Figure 8. The slits 10b extend across the bottom wall 13 and upwardly, for a limited distance, along both the front wall 14 and the rear wall 15. In this way, the lower portions of said walls 14 and 15 are displaceable with the bottom wall 13 in the same manner as described with reference to the construction disclosed in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive. The wall portions 13, 14 and 15 may be provided with score lines 15a, corresponding to the score lines 12 and 12a previously described.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide means whereby the closure flap 7a is opened automatically when the bottom wall 13 is displaced inwardly. This may be accomplished as shown to advantage in Figures 8 and 9. In these figures it will be noted that the bottom wall 13 carries a U-shaped strip 1'7 presenting side arms 18 having their upper extremities bevelled as indicated at 19. The arms 18 lie close to the side walls 12' and, when the container is closed, as shown in Figure 7, the points of the bevelled ends 19 engage the closure flap 7a at a point immediately adjacent the front wall 14 and remote from the hinge connection 20 provided between the closure flap and the rear wall 15. When the wall 13 is displaced inwardly, the pressure exerted against the closureflap' by the pointed extremities of the arms 18 gradually force the flap to an open position. If desired, the arms 18 may be formed integral with the bottom wall 13, or may be attached thereto in any other desired manner.

From the foregoing, it will be manifest that the present invention, as applied to dispensing containers, provides economical and effective means for projcting the cigarettes or other articles to an accessible position beyond the open end of the container. This ejecting means is an efficient substitute for theseparate dispensing slide heretofore employed for accomplishing the same purpose and is far more economical from a manufacturing standpoint.

The present invention is not limited in its application to dispensing containers for cigarettes, but may be applied with equal facility to dispensing containers for playing cards and numerous other articles.

This invention may also be used to advantage for display purposes in connection with various types of containers or receptacles, such, for example, as cartons for cigarette packages and the like. Several examples of this'last application are shown, by way of suggestion, in Figures 11 to 15 inclusive.

In Figure 11, I have shown two rows of cigarette packages 20 arranged in a container 21. The bottom container wall 22 and the adjoining wall 23 are provided With slits 24. The wall portion 25 lying between said slots is displaceable inwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 12. This inward displacement of the wall portion 25 causes the row of cigarette packages 20, adjoining the wall 23, to be moved to and supported in the partially ejected or display position shown in Figure 12.

The construction shown in Figures 11 and 12 may be modified as shown to advantage in Figure 13. With reference to this latter figure, it will be noted that the displaceable wall portion lying between the slots 24 in sub-divided by the provision of further slots 26 formed in the same mannor as the slots 24. This arrangement of the slots 24 and 26 provides a plurality of independently displaceable wall portions 25a. This construction permits any one of the cigarette packages contained in the row adjoining the container wall 23 to be raised to a display position independently of the remaining packages.

In Figure 14 I have suggested a further modification wherein the container 21a is provided with a wall portion 25b adapted, when displaced inwardly to provide a series of supporting steps 250 located at different levels and connected together by the risers 25d. Each step 250 is utilized to support one or more of the packages 20 in the partially ejected or display position clearly shown in Figure 14. To assist in sustaining the wall portion 25b in the dotted line position shown in Figure 14, it may be necessary or desirable to provide one or more supporting members 27 provided with step surfaces 28 adapted to underlie the supporting steps 250.

In the foregoing, I have suggested various ways of including the present invention in different types of container structures for display or dispensing purposes, but it will be understood that further modifications may be resorted to within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:--

1. A container having contiguous bottom and side wall'portions thereof partially separated from the body of the container by parallel slits defining an intervening strip of uniform width throughout its length, said strip having its ends joined to the material of the container across the full Width of the strip.

2. A container having cotiguous bottom and side wall portions thereof partially separated from the body. of the container by means of slits extending entirely across the bottom wall and upwardly for a limited distance along opposite body walls of said container.

3. A container having parallel slits at its lower end to permit displacement of the wall portion lying between said slits, said wall portion being integrally joined to the body of the container at opposite ends of the slits and being transversely creased intermediate its ends whereby inward displacement of said wall portion may be accomplished without disrupting the joining of the ends of the wall portion to the bottom of the container.

4.' A container provided with a series of spaced parallel slits extending across the bottom wall and upwardlyalong a portion of an adjacent side wall of the container, said slits being in sufficient number to provide a plurality of relatively long and narrow inwardly displaceable strips, each strip being bendable along transverse fold lines located at the ends of the strip and along an intermediate transverse fold line located midway between said first mentioned fold lines.

5. A container provided with a plurality of spaced parallel slits extending across the bottom wall and upwardly along a portion of an adjacent side wall of said container, said slits being in sufficient number to provide a plurality of inwardly displaceable strips. each strip being bendable along transverse fold lines located at different points along the length of the strip and arranged so that the bending of each strip along said fold lines causes it to present a series of horizontal supporting surfaces contained in different horizontal planes. r

6. A container having an inwardly displaceable lower corner portion lying between slits extending across the bottom wall and upwardly along a portion of one of the adjoining side walls of said container, said displaceable lower corner portion being provided with transverse fold lines along which said portion is bent during its inward displacement so as to provide a self-sustaining supporting shelf presenting a horizontal supporting surface elevated with reference to the bottom wall of the container and lying within the defining walls of said container.

7. A container provided with a series of spaced parallel slits extending entirely across the bottom wall of the container and upwardly along a portion of each of the adjacent side walls, said slits dividing the bottom wall and the aforesaid portions of the side walls into a plurality 0! strips having transverse lines 01' fold along which said strips are bendable to permit displacement of the strips in a direction to apply ejecting pressure to the contents of the container.

ALEXANDER G. MACDONALD. 

